Obama on “The View”: The world should ignore that Mohammed movie that my administration’s been talking about for two weeks

posted at 8:41 pm on September 25, 2012 by Allahpundit

Via the Standard, a fine idea that I would take more seriously if he had mentioned it before the movie was condemned by the Cairo embassy, blamed for the Benghazi attack by Susan Rice, apologized for by the State Department via TV ads in Pakistan, and then discussed at length by The One himself in his UN speech today. Scrambling to denounce the film the way the administration did made it that much more lucrative a pretext for Islamists to exploit; the U.S. government can’t ban the film, but attack an embassy or two and by golly they’ll fall all over themselves to reassure you that it’s a wicked, awful, evil piece of expression. Matt Welch is one of the many free-speech fans who’s had enough:

Why this video, and not Theo Van Gogh’s Submission, or Lars Vilks’ animation of Mohammed wanting to go to a gay bar, the “Super Best Friends” episode of South Park, or Funny or Die’s “How to Pick a Pocket”? Is it the degree of the insult, the craptasticness of the production values, the size of the release, or the vociferousness of the outrage expressed?

Given the track record of our past two administrations, I think we know the answer to that question, which suggests another thing terrible about this sentence: As Eugene Volokh recently pointed out, “Behavior that gets rewarded, gets repeated.” If all it takes to earn a White House call for global condemnation of a single piece of expression is some violent protests outside a dozen or two diplomatic missions, then the perpetually aggrieved know exactly what to do the next time they pluck out some bit of cultural detritus to be offended by.

It is not any politician’s job, and certainly not any American politician’s job, to instruct the entire world on which films to criticize.

Are we sure about that? Over at Slate, law prof(!) Eric Posner weighs the old liberal cardinal virtue of free speech against the new liberal cardinal virtue of multiculturalism. Guess which is heavier:

But there is another possible response. This is that Americans need to learn that the rest of the world—and not just Muslims—see no sense in the First Amendment. Even other Western nations take a more circumspect position on freedom of expression than we do, realizing that often free speech must yield to other values and the need for order. Our own history suggests that they might have a point…

Meanwhile, some liberals began to have second thoughts. They supported enactment of hate-crime laws that raised criminal penalties for people who commit crimes against minorities because of racist or other invidious motives. They agreed that hate speech directed at women in the workplace could be the basis of sexual harassment claims against employers as well. However, the old First Amendment victories in the Supreme Court continued to play an important role in progressive mythology. For the left, the amendment today is like a dear old uncle who enacted heroic deeds in his youth but on occasion says embarrassing things about taboo subjects in his decline.

We have to remember that our First Amendment values are not universal; they emerged contingently from our own political history, a set of cobbled-together compromises among political and ideological factions responding to localized events. As often happens, what starts out as a grudging political settlement has become, when challenged from abroad, a dogmatic principle to be imposed universally. Suddenly, the disparagement of other people and their beliefs is not an unfortunate fact but a positive good. It contributes to the “marketplace of ideas,” as though we would seriously admit that Nazis or terrorist fanatics might turn out to be right after all. Salman Rushdie recently claimed that bad ideas, “like vampires … die in the sunlight” rather than persist in a glamorized underground existence. But bad ideas never die: They are zombies, not vampires. Bad ideas like fascism, Communism, and white supremacy have roamed the countryside of many an open society.

The positive good isn’t the disparagement of other people’s beliefs, it’s the freedom to “disparage,” a.k.a. criticize, those beliefs without fear of being locked up by the sensitivity police. Savor the irony of this guy hinting that we should go ahead and criminalize some especially dangerous retrograde ideas while he and a few select others on the left are busy reviving the idea of blasphemy laws to appease violent Islamist fanatics. I’m not sure how closely fascist regimes in the Middle East follow left/right debates in America, but if they do, they have every incentive to burn more buildings and kill more ambassadors in the name of avenging insults to the faith. There’s a small but apparently growing movement on one side of the aisle here that’s ready to hear them out and rebalance free-speech principles against, in Posner’s creepy phrase, “the need for order.”

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Beyond belief. The marxist runs his mouth about the movie for two weeks then says forget about it to the world. This guy is going to get more Americans killed. He is the clear danger to our country more than the movie eve3r was.

That is what we saw play out the last two weeks, as a crude and disgusting video sparked outrage throughout the Muslim world. I have made it clear that the United States government had nothing to do with this video, and I believe its message must be rejected by all who respect our common humanity. It is an insult not only to Muslims, but to America as well –

You got that, America? Free speech is an insult to you! (Now forget I ever mentioned that crude and disgusting video.)

Beyond belief. The marxist runs his mouth about the movie for two weeks then says forget about it to the world. This guy is going to get more Americans killed. He is the clear danger to our country more than the movie eve3r was.

bgibbs1000 on September 25, 2012 at 8:46 PM

Someone told him to shut up about it because he is acting as the Chief advertising agent of this movie… This is the most incompetent man to ever become President… If you go to the street you can pick 80 out of 100 people who can do better job at being President than he does… Folks, we have no other choice, on November 6 2012 let us go and vote in numbers that have never seen before to defeat the incompetent communist fool…

Oh for the love of God, hasn’t anyone here actually seen the “Movie” in question? If anyone should genuinely be offended by “The Innocence of Muslims” it should be Monty Pythons Graham Chapman and John Cleese, since “The Innocence of Muslims” is a poorly done parody Rip-off of Monty Pythons “The Life of Brian”.

There’s a small but apparently growing movement on one side of the aisle here that’s ready to hear them out and rebalance free-speech principles against, in Posner’s creepy phrase, “the need for order.”

I just want one blog, or one news organization to break the news that the Obama shills were the first ones to suggest it was the movie that caused this as a cover for the planned terrorist attack in Benghazi. Just one. And I want to know which one(shill) it was.

Seriously….this is why I don’t understand what is going on. Between this and this….I’m seriously going to stop following the elections because I don’t think I can’t handle watching this incompetent idiot anymore!!!

If Romney doesn’t say something now then he is trying to lose the election.

bgibbs1000 on September 25, 2012 at 8:47 PM

Just because you didn’t hear something – or bother to look for it – doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened.

In an interview with Fox News today, Romney called out the Obama administration for not coming clean about what happened in Benghazi. Despite Obama’s unwillingness to call this a terrorist attack, Romney asserts that it is clear this is a terrorist attack even though, as he says, the president doesn’t want to admit it. Video

We have to remember that our First Amendment values are not universal;

My wild guess? He’ll close speech down, the crisis is opportunity meme, and the internet will be first, because rioters and terrorists need to be controlled. This he’ll say, is the cost of freedom, and his followers will nod–their souls already vacant.
i stand amazed at my friends and relatives that have been totally duped by this man, but then, this is the Northeast.

Many Americans are troubled by the developments in the Middle East. Syria has witnessed the killing of tens of thousands of people. The president of Egypt is a member of the Muslim Brotherhood. Our Ambassador to Libya was assassinated in a terrorist attack. And Iran is moving toward nuclear weapons capability. We feel that we are at the mercy of events, rather than shaping events…

When I was in business, I traveled to many other countries. I was often struck by the vast difference in wealth among nations. True, some of that was due to geography. Rich countries often had natural resources like mineral deposits or ample waterways. But in some cases, all that separated a rich country from a poor one was a faint line on a map. Countries that were physically right next to each other were economically worlds apart. Just think of North and South Korea.

I became convinced that the crucial difference between these countries wasn’t geography. I noticed the most successful countries shared something in common. They were the freest. They protected the rights of the individual. They enforced the rule of law. And they encouraged free enterprise. They understood that economic freedom is the only force in history that has consistently lifted people out of poverty – and kept people out of poverty…

A year from now, I hope to return to this meeting as president, having made substantial progress toward achieving the reforms I’ve outlined. But I also hope to remind the world of the goodness and the bigness of the American heart. I will never apologize for America. I believe that America has been one of the greatest forces for good the world has ever known. We can hold that knowledge in our hearts with humility and unwavering conviction.

The government should make it a crime to criticize conservatives, the Tea Party, and Republicans.

If someone dares to criticize any of those protected groups and the government doesn’t react in the manner the protected groups agree with, it is permissible to punish the offender by mob standards. I’m looking at you, Chris Matthews. Nancy Pelosi.

Also, a crime to criticize Christians and Christianity. Death be the penalty. Anywhere in the world.

I just want one blog, or one news organization to break the news that the Obama shills were the first ones to suggest it was the movie that caused this as a cover for the planned terrorist attack in Benghazi. Just one. And I want to know which one(shill) it was.

canditaylor68 on September 25, 2012 at 8:58 PM

Tuesday, about 6 a.m., before the attack in Benghazi

The Embassy of the United States in Cairo condemns the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims – as we condemn efforts to offend believers of all religions. Today, the 11th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States, Americans are honoring our patriots and those who serve our nation as the fitting response to the enemies of democracy. Respect for religious beliefs is a cornerstone of American democracy. We firmly reject the actions by those who abuse the universal right of free speech to hurt the religious beliefs of others.

Tuesday, about 6:30 p.m.
In Twitter Message, U.S. Embassy Stands by Statement

This morning’s condemnation (issued before protest began) still stands. As does our condemnation of unjustified breach of the Embassy.

The tweet was later deleted.

Tuesday, 10:08 p.m.
Clinton Confirms Death of One American in Libya

I condemn in the strongest terms the attack on our mission in Benghazi today. As we work to secure our personnel and facilities, we have confirmed that one of our State Department officers was killed. We are heartbroken by this terrible loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and those who have suffered in this attack.

This evening, I called Libyan President Magariaf to coordinate additional support to protect Americans in Libya. President Magariaf expressed his condemnation and condolences and pledged his government’s full cooperation.

Some have sought to justify this vicious behavior as a response to inflammatory material posted on the Internet. The United States deplores any intentional effort to denigrate the religious beliefs of others. Our commitment to religious tolerance goes back to the very beginning of our nation. But let me be clear: There is never any justification for violent acts of this kind.

In light of the events of today, the United States government is working with partner countries around the world to protect our personnel, our missions, and American citizens worldwide.

There is a fundamental difference between Romney and Dear Leader…and if for no other reason I will vote for Romney. I am tired of having a POTUS that does not believe in America…
The damage Obama has done in four years will take decades to overcome. Let’s start now.

Romney’s good to go jugular on this, and I hope he does at the debates, too, but he’s got to quit calling the Benghazi thing a “terrorist attack”. It was a planned and targeted assassination of a US ambassador, pure and simple, carried out by forces also known for their involvement in terrorism. But that does not make it a “terrorist attack”.

It’s not a parsing of words to understand that “terrorist attacks” are those aimed at innocent civilians to create fear and chaos among the populace of your much stronger enemy (in this case, America). And, here, I wouldn’t be surprised at all that Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood knew the ambassador was going to be in Benghazi on 9/11 and let the word go down to the AQ assassins and the Libyan “troops” protecting the consulate to stand down.

In the meantime, President Kardashian addresses the UN and again blames it all on a months-old video critical of the “prophet” of the religion of peace. Dis-f**king-gusting!!!

A utube video. To save the ego of one man. Irrespective in a time of great peril that such a weakness could lead to worldwide conflaguration. And for the most part our other instruments of Governance are silent. Where is Congress?

Maybe instead of “a terrorist attack,” Romney could call it “an attack by terrorists,” which would be somewhat stronger than “an attack by forces also known for their involvement in terrorism.” Or just cut to the chase and call it “an attack by assassins,” a not unfair allusion to an old Ismaili institution anyway.

The Piss Christ exhibit is taking place at the Brooklyn Museum this Thursday.

The Brooklyn Museum is located in the northern part of Brooklyn, which is home to some of the most Left wing, pretentious, hipster neighborhoods like Park Slope and Williamsburg. These neighborhoods were run down and dangerous for many years, and home to large Black and Hispanic populations. Little by little, starving White
art students started moving in, who were followed by more successful Left wing professionals, and finally, yuppies who fancy themselves as hipsters. And as all these White Left wingers and Liberals started flooding into these neighborhoods, the Blacks and Hispanics got driven out due to sky rocketing rents.

While I don’t advocate violence, it would sure be interesting to see the reaction of Obama, the Democrats, and the Left if religious Christians caused a considerable disturbance to protest this exhibit.

This man-child prez,
says ‘its the film” that caused all this unrest.
i’m thinking your victory laps at the DNC just might have had something to do with it, im just sayin.
then, every single time you or one of your cronnies open your mouth you blame someone else, NO SHOCKER THERE.
Hey Mr. Prez, it’s YOUR fault.